Auxiliary grippes



W. H. SMITH.

AUXILIARY GRIFPER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. 1919.

1,320,345. Patented Oct. 28,1919.

UN ED TATESPAT NT OFFICE;

WALTER H. SMITH, 0F PiTTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'ro MILLER sAW- I TRIMMER. COMPANY, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

AUXILIARY GEIPPEE.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

" Application fi1ed"Apri13.1919. Seri a1 1\To..287.301. 7

To allwhom it mag concern: 1 I

'Be it known that I, WALTER H. SMITH, a subject of the King of England, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Grippers, of which the following is aspecification. I This invention relates tosheet grippers for use upon the platen of a platen printing press, during the printing operation.

I In platen printing presses it is frequently necessary to use What may be termed auxiliary grippers, which are'to be removably and slidably connected with the main grlppers, and to include fingers which extend transverse the main grippers to overlie the sheet being printed;

such constructions necessitate a main Jgripper of equal width throughout) its length in order that the auxiliary gripper may properly fit the inaingripper ,at' any point thereof, and such auxiliary. grippers. have also, to permit their being temporarilysecured in adjusted position, been provided with a holding means which permitted more or less objectio-nal play of the auxiliary grippers.

From a structural standpoint the main grippers must have their inner or proximatej edges exactly parallel in use," and 7 should taper from their ,connection"with the rocking bar toward, their free end.

Without such taperthe weight at the free endof the grippers is such that'the 'gri pers are constantly liable *to breakage at or near their juncture with therockingbar. The main object vof the present invention istherefore to provide an auxiliary grip per which will cooperate with a main gripper of proper tapered form, and which auxiliary-gripperis readily adjustable to any position longitudinally g per, and so cooperates with the main grip per that it will be temporarily lockedin' an adjusted position :and in substantially rigid relation with themain gripper to prevent possiblepplayjy 1 c In the drawings: r

Figurel is a .plan of the platen of a press, showing the main grippers thereof constructed in accordance with the present per in place thereon,

Such auxiliary grippers have been heretofore provided, but

of the main grip- Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section on the line '22 Fig. l. v

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the auxiliary grippers.

ig. iis a transverse section through a malngripper of 'a form adapted for cooperation with the improved auxiliary gripper;

The present invention involves the construction of the main gripper, in so far as the same is formed for cooperation with the auxiliary gripper, and also the construction of a particular auxiliary gripper, which while particularly adapted for the type of main'gripper pable' of use with any and all types of main grippers.

As shown particularly in Fig. 1, the

platen 1-0 of the press carries the usual rocking bar 11, in which the main grippers 12 are adjustably secured as by bolts 13. The main gripper bars here shown are of the best type of elements, wherein their proximate edges latare perpendicular to the rocking bar, that is parallel to each other, and the desired taper of such bar, to gradually reduce the weight at thefree' end, is provided for by in cliningtheouter edges 15 of such vmain grippers, as shown.

' The auxiliary grippers are constructed to permit their connect on with or disconnec- I tion from the main gripper at any the length of the latter,'an'd also to permit their adjustment longitudinally of the main gripper following their application. The auxiliary gripper, as more particularly shown in Fig. 3" is preferably constructed ofasingle piece of metal, and in completed form, comprises a clip made up of an end wall 20, from the lower. edge of which and adjacent each end thereof projecttongues point in 19. A bearing plate 21 projects from the spaced parallel relation to the tongues '19.-

The tongues upper edge (if the" wall preferably throughout the length of such wall, in

19 have a length approximately corresponding width of the main gripper, wlnlethe' plate 21 has a length equal to the plane portion of the main gripper between the channeh The plate 21, 1s provided and the edge 14. V at its edge remote from the wall 20 wlth what. maybe termeda locking means for cooperation with the channel and the main gripper This locking means is provided by bending the material of the plate'into a form substantially ,corres imnding to the outline form of the gripper, as at 2 2, one wall of this V-torm being serrated'as at 23 to cooperate with the serration 17in the main gripper channel. The auxiliary gripper also includes a finger 18,;which maybe of-any desired length, and which forms in reality the paper engaging element. This finger 18 projects from the loweredg'e oi the wall 20, preferably between and inopposition to the projection of the tongues 19. The auxiliary gripper may be readily applied to the main gripper by end-wise engagement, or by forcing the auxiliary gripper over the edge 14 of the main gripper at any point in the length thereoif. Under either method of application the locking means of the auxiliary gripperwill seat in the Vshaped depression oft-he main gripper, the serrations 23 coiiperatingwith the serrations 17. As thus applied it will be noted that they auxiliary gripper has a firm substantial bearing on the main gripper,

the tongues l9bearing squarely against the lower-surface oi": the main gripper, the wall 20 hearing squarely against the straight edge of the main gripper, the plate 21bearing squarely on the upper surface of the main gripper, while the V-form locking means of the locking gripper is held in the V-shape depression of the main gripper. Under these conditions it'is apparent that the auxiliary gripper may be adjusted longitudinally of the maingripper to anydesiredipoint in the length thereof, without interrupting in any manner the comparatively rigid bearings described. The coiiperating serrations 17 and 23will temporarily hold the auxiliary grip per in fixed relation to th main gripper, in any desired adjustment, against casual displacement. The comparatively rigid bearing of the auxiliary gripper with relation to the main gripper absolutely prevents any independent play of the auxiliary gripper with relation to the main gripper, and hence, aside 'tromthe longitudinal adjustment the auxiliary gripper is in use sub stantially afixed part of the main gripper.

To 'insure a more substantial locking co operation between the serrated portions; of themain grippers, the non-serrated portion to the minimum or wall of the V 'form locking'iiieans of the auxllia-ry grlpper 1s arranged at an. angle slightly less acute to the'hor-izontal plane of the main gripper, than is the non-serrated wall lti of the depression in the main gripper, as here shown in Fig. 2. This prevents direct contact between these parts and 1nsures'aanore binding contact between the serrated portion of the parts.

In Flg. i, thereas shown a form of main gripper 23, wherein the. channel isnot spe-:

cifically provided for, while all the advantages'thereof are obtained. In this the inner portion of the main gripper is of usual thickness, as at '23, while the outer portion. is of reduced thickness, as at 2st. The edge of the portion 23 beyond the portion 24,

provides the shoulder or wall with which 7 the locking means 220i the auxiliary gripper may cooperataand such wall 25 may be serrated, as at, 26. This formation permits perfect cooperation between the main and auxiliary grippers.

The improved auxiliary gripper may be placed on the main gripper or removed therefrom at any point in the length of the latter, and does not have to be initially applied at the iree end of the main gripper. This is important as additional auxiliary grippers may be added at any time and at anypoint on the main gripper without disturbing the. position or adjustment of auxiliary grippers previously placed.

What I claim is: I

i 1. Amain gripper for connection with the gripper bar of a platen, having the side edges thereof tapering toward the free end of the gripper, saidgripper being formed with a longitudinally extending wall parallel to one of said edges, in combination with an auxiliary. gripper having retaining portions engaging and cooperating with said wall andwith the edge parallel to the latter for holding'said auxiliar gripper against movement on said main gripper.

A platen gripper having one side edge approximately at right angles to the plane of its support and the remaining side edge inclined to suchplane, said gripper being formed with a longitudinally extending channel substantiallyparallel to said right angled edge. V

3. In combination, a tapered main gripper for connection with the gripper bar. of a platen, having a longitudinally extending wall'parallel with one edge and independent of the other, and anauxiliary gripper including a clip for partially embracing said first-named gripper, said clip being provided with retaining means for coiiperation with said wall.

1 1., In combination, amain gripper for con:

nection with'the gripper bar of aplaten,

an auxiliary gripper for slidable engagment with said first-named gripper, said auxiliary gripper having a retaining portion for seating in said depression, said depression and said retaining means having cooperating locking means. t

5. A main gripper formed with longitudinally extending V-shape channel, and an auxiliary gripper adapted to slidably embrace the main gripper and having a V- shape section to seat in said channel, said V-shape'section and one wall of the channel having cooperating locking means.

6. In combination, a tapered main gripper for attachment to the gripper bar of a platen, said main gripper having a side thereof formed with a longitudinally extending wall parallel with one'edge and independent of the other edge, said wall being serrated, and an auxiliary gripper having a serrated portion cooperating with said wall.

7. The combination with a tapered main gripper for attachment to the gripper bar of the platen, formed with a wall parallel with one edge and independent of the other edge, of an auxiliary gripper engagingthe edge of the main gripper parallel with said wall, said auxiliary gripper having means associated therewith for engaging said wall.

8. The combination with a platen gripper having an edge and a. serrated wall parallel with said edge, of an auxiliary gripper having a clip for embracing said platen gripper and a finger projecting from said clip, said clip having a downwardlyextending inclined serrated portion for resiliently engaging the serrations of said wall, thereby to impositively retain said auxiliary gripper against lengthwise movement on said platen grlpper.

9. A tapered main gripper for attachment to the gripper bar of a platen, formed in its upper surface with a depression parallel to one edge, and an auxiliary gripper including a clip bearing. against the edge parallel to said depression and on the top and bottom of said main gripper andterminating short of the other edge of said main gripper, and means on the clip to cooperate with said depression to secure the clip in place. 10. In combination, a tapered main gripper for attachment to the gripper bar of a platen, an auxiliary gripper having a gripping portion extending from one edge of said platen gripper, means formed with said auxiliary gripper for frictionally connecting the latter with said platen gripper to admit of adjustment thereon, and means independent of the other edge of the platen gripper and cooperating with the frictional means for releasably maintaining said auxiliary gripper in its adjusted position.

11. The combination with a main gripper for attachment to the gripper bar of a platen, said main gripper having an edge substantially at right angles to said gripper bar and a second edge inclined toward the first, and said main gripper being formed with an intermediate wall parallel with one of said edge walls, of an auxiliary gripper having a portion for cooperation with said wall and a portion for cooperation with the edge parallel to said wall.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WALTER H. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained 'for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. G. 

